Schizophrenia is the most chronic and disabling of the major mental
illnesses

Herschel Hardin is an author and playwright, former radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist, among other pursuits over the years. He has a son with schizophrenia. For the better part of 20 years he was actively involved in the North Shore Schizophrenia Society, in a wide variety of capacities. His landmark 1993 op-ed article on involuntary admission, “Uncivil Liberties,” has been widely reproduced, both in Canada and the United States. Currently he’s president of the Riverview Village Intentional Community Society, which has brought forward a proposal for an “intentional community,” for those with serious mental illness, on the Riverview Lands in Coquitlam. In his spare time, he’s an avid tennis player.

Judy Towill is a former human resources professional. She is married with two children, one of whom – her son – suffers from schizophrenia. Judy was a member of the North Shore Schizophrenia Society for 9 years and, during that time, served as a board member, secretary, and vice-president. She is a staunch advocate for people with mental illness. Judy has been a resident of the North Shore for 40 years, and enjoys golfing and playing bridge.

Julia Roos is a lawyer practicing civil litigation and administrative law in Vancouver. Her uncle and grandmother on her paternal side and cousin on her maternal side suffer from schizophrenia. She devotes a portion of her practice to pro bono work, and in particular to matters involving litigants suffering with mental illness, often single mothers. In her spare time, Julia spends the winter skiing in Whistler, and the summer hiking and camping around the West Coast.

Nicholas Roos is a lawyer who serves as general counsel and oversees all legal affairs for a Vancouver-based company with operations in western North America. Like his sister Julia, Nicholas has family members with schizophrenia. He is a former member of the board of directors of and is the current Honourary Legal Counsel to St. John Society for British Columbia and Yukon. Nicholas grew up on and lives on the North Shore where he enjoys snowboarding and riding his mountain bike in his free time.

Marguerite Hardin, who has a son with schizophrenia, is a pioneer of family peer support for family members dealing with serious mental illness. In 1995, then president of the North Shore Schizophrenia Society, she established the pioneering Family Support Centre, a full-time drop in facility with a wide range of programs. Perhaps most important was her dedicated one-on-one family peer counselling and crisis support, unique on the continent and for which she became widely known. A former herb grower and garden writer, she now, in her home garden, grows fig trees, old garden roses, and – a passion of many years – species cyclamen.

Asal Delfani is an operations manager for SE Health (Saint Elizabeth Health Care), a busy non-profit organization providing home care – in the B.C. Lower Mainland under contract to Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health. She oversees day-to-day operations and field staff who visit people at their homes, mostly the elderly. She has been working in the health sector for about 20 years. Her other major interest, close to her heart, is mental-health advocacy; she has two brothers with serious mental illness. She enjoys spending time with her son, cooking, and yoga.

Cheryl Archer is a former executive director of the North Shore Schizophrenia Society where she covered the gamut from management of a growing organization to advocacy, outreach, community relations, research, editorial, and volunteer coordination. Working with family members of those with a severe mental illness, she became intimately familiar with the challenges faced by the mentally ill and their families and with policy issues in the field. Issues included family involvement, the need for a pro-active approach to treatment, sharing information with family members, and prioritizing the treatment and care of those most seriously affected.